CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

3o
form the subject's beady eyes, broad nose, and
toothy mouth; horizontal lines on either side of the
circles suggest the canthi. The figure seems to be
riding on a fearsome monster which has large circular
eyes, a gaping mouth with protruding tusks, and
two clawed feet. This double image mirrors the
more abbreviated face motifs commonly found on
Liangzhu jades.
The significance of these face motifs is highly
controversial. While generally agreeing that these
faces carry symbolic meaning, scholars differ in
their interpretations of the image. Some argue that
they depict the animal assistants of shamans, while
others suggest that they represent deity figures,
ancestor spirits, or even phallic symbols. 7 Although
archaeological evidence does not yet allow further
speculation on the specific meaning of these faces,
we can reasonably postulate that they represented
religious icons of some sort, zs
1 For examples of cong of various heights and proportions,
see Zhejiang 1989, pis. 6-58.
2 Liu 1990, 30 - 37; Chang 1989, 37 - 43.
3 Rawson 1995,124.
4 Nanjing 1984,113 -114.
5 Excavated in 1986 (M 12:97); reported: Zhejiang 19883,14.
For an updated interpretation of the archaeological
contents see Wenwu 1990,103.
6 Zhejiang 19883,10-14, figs. 19, 20; for detailed photographic
reproductions, see Zhejisng 1989, pis. 6-9.
7 Chsng 1989, 39; Hayashi 19883; Mou 1989!), 193; Teng 1988,
37;Xiso 1992, 54-56.
Jade cong
Height 4.5 (i 3 A), exterior diam. 7.9 fa 1 /*),
interior diam. 6.7 (2 5 A)
Liangzhu Culture, 3200-2000 BCE
From Yaoshan, Yuhang, Zhejiang Province
Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Archaeology,
Hangzhou
Unlike the common type, this short cong 1 has a
circular wall resembling a bracelet. A large monster
face is incised in fluent lines on each of the four
decorative panels, its circular eyes, bar-shaped nose
and mouth sculpted in low relief. Between the eyes,
vertical lines form a fan shape, echoing the feather
headdress of the human figure in the more elaborate
human-monster configuration. In contrast to
the fine spirals and curls that fill the background,
the eye circles are cut in deep grooves, giving the
face a threatening aspect.
While most cong have a square cross section
and circular central hole, round, bracelet-shaped
forms have been found at several Middle and Late
Liangzhu sites, including Fanshan in northern Zhejiang
province, Fuquanshan in Shanghai city, and
Sidun in southern Jiangsu province. 2 The slightly
raised angle that appears in some examples along
the median line of the decorative panel nonetheless
suggests an affinity to the typical cong shape.
It is likely that the cong developed out of the
bracelet form, perhaps reflecting lapidaries' search
for an effective means to present the face motif.
The close resemblance between the bracelet and
the earliest known example of the cong — datable
to the Early Liangzhu period (c. 3000 BCE) — suggests
such an evolution. 3 The cong differs from the
bracelet by having four rectangular panels, on
which simple, monsterlike faces are incised. These
are the earliest known examples of face motifs, but
they consist of exactly the same pictorial elements
as the later ones — a pair of gogglelike eyes joined
by an arched bar and a wide-open mouth with
protruding tusks. As the surface decoration grew
more elaborate in the Middle Liangzhu period
(c. 2800-2400 BCE), the craftsmen accentuated
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